The owner of the controversial Monet lost the court

PARIS. While Guy Wildenstein was charged with tax fraud and money laundering in Paris, another French court made the final decision about the fate of Monet’s painting, which was the subject of a fierce struggle between its owner and Wildenstein Art Institute.

We are talking about the painting "The Shores of the Seine in Argenteuil" (Les Bords de Seine à Argenteuil), written in 1875 allegedly by Claude Monet (Oscar-Claude Monet). The issue of its attribution, which caused heated debate over many years, was first raised in June 2011, when the film “Fake or Fortune” was released on the BBC channel in which the owner of the picture, David Joel, was supported by the leading programs of Fiona Bruce )Fiona Bruce) and Philip Mold. Meanwhile, back in 1982, Daniel Wildenstein, father of Guy, denied Monet’s authorship, and the picture was excluded from the artist’s catalog of works prepared by the Wildenstein Institute, a non-profit center of the Wildenstein family.

Joel said that he bought the painting privately for 50,000 euros in 1993 as a genuine Monet work. Before the painting came to David Joel, it was sold at auction for 500,000 pounds. As evidence of its authenticity, the authors of the BBC film cited an old illustration of this picture, published in the obituary of the artist in Le Figaro. It was also found that the painting originates from the dealer of the artist Georges Petit. Confidence in the authorship of Monet was reinforced by a number of outstanding specialists in his work, including the late Professor John House of the Institute of Arts Courtauld Institute of Art and Professor Paul Tucker (Paul Hayes Tucker). The authors of the film presented their findings to the Wildenstein Institute so that the employees of the institute would change their minds and include the “Seine Coast in Argenteuil” in Monet’s catalog of works. When the institute refused, Joel went to court.

In 2014, the court refused to satisfy the requirements of the owner of the painting, and a few days ago the court of appeal confirmed this decision. In his speech, the judge noted that it was not in the court’s competence to establish the authenticity of the picture, the decision only concerned the possibility or impossibility of including the picture in the catalog. By a court decision, Joel will pay the Wildenstein Institute 10,000 euros in compensation and all legal costs. In making such a decision, the court took into account conflicting opinions regarding the authenticity of the canvas. A number of scientists do not believe in Monet’s authorship, in addition, it is well known that even during the life of the artist there were a huge number of fakes, which Georges Petit could trade, passing them off as originals.

Anna Sidorova © Gallerix.ru